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Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA

Audi has swapped trademarks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to snare the rights to the Q2 and Q4 badges for upcoming crossover SUVs. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed at the Detroit Motor Show that the automaker had finally persuaded FCA to release the two names that would let Audi lock up the Q1 to Q9 badges for its growing SUV family. Audi already plans to drop the Q2 name onto its MQB-based city crossover five-door this year, while the Q4 badge will slot onto the rump of a coupe-like version of the next Q3. It will also reserve the Q1 badge for a 2018 baby crossover, based around the architecture of the next A1 hatch. The A1 will share a lot of its engineering with Volkswagen's Polo-based soft-roader, dubbed T-Cross in concept form. The German company has also pounced on the naming rights for SQ versions of all of its Q-cars, along with F-Tron to cover the day when it pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars into production. Stadler insisted that no money had changed hands in order to pry the two badges off FCA, admitting that they had "each found something we needed." "We promised each other we wouldn't disclose what it cost, but it was not something they were willing to sell," Stadler said. "We tried to get it years ago and they said 'No, never,' but there is never 'never' in business. ... This year I went back to them with a proposal and we talked and there were some negotiations and then we agreed to it." Those negotiations are believed to have centered on a trademark swap with a Volkswagen Group name that FCA desperately (evidently) wants to use on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge or Maserati. Asked if Audi had given FCA a trademark in return for Q2 and Q4, Stadler replied, "Something very much like that, yes." Audi has used Italian names on past concept cars that FCA could be interested in, such as the 2001 Avantissimo concept and the 2003 Nuvolari coupe. The latter was named after legendary pre-war racer Tazio, who won grands prix for both Alfa Romeo and Audi's forerunner, Auto Union. Both are unlikely trade chips, with laws in Europe preventing the trademarking of the names of actual people. There is always "quattro" (Italian for "four"), but after investing nearly four decades locking it in as an Audi all-wheel-drive name, it's just not anything like trade bait.

Audi and Mercedes both outsell BMW in January

There won't be any celebrations in Munich this month, as BMW was outsold by arch-nemeses Audi and Mercedes-Benz. The Bavarian company finished behind Audi in January, which took the top spot for the first time since June of last year, Bloomberg reports. Ingolstadt rode high on a 10-percent bump in sales, while Mercedes saw a larger 14 percent increase. BMW, meanwhile, only saw a modest 6.3-percent sales increase last month, thanks in large part to its struggles in China. The company's sales there increased at about half the rate of its chief competitors, with a 7.9-percent jump to Mercedes and Audi's roughly 15-percent increases. Perhaps more worrying for BMW, though, is that this could become something of a trend for the company. According to Bloomberg, issues with Chinese dealers who cancelled orders over sales targets and bonuses combined with what the publication calls aging models, could spell bad news for the German marque. "This looks like a pretty significant decline in growth compared to Mercedes and Audi," Bankhaus Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper told Bloomberg. "I think this will continue during the next few months." News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Matthias Schrader / AP Earnings/Financials Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz

Audi plans three electric vehicles by 2020

Audi reiterated its focus on electrification Wednesday and said it is planning three new battery-powered electric vehicles by 2020. The announcement, made at Audi's annual corporate press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany, also confirmed more electric models will follow after 2020. Audi, which is clearly making electrification one of its core strategies, has trained more than 6,000 workers in high-voltage technology and is working on quick-charging public infrastructure. While Audi did not specify the new models, it is expected to expand use the E-tron name as a sub-brand throughout its portfolio, with a new sport utility vehicle the first to arrive. Audi showed a Q8 plug-in hybrid concept in January at the Detroit Auto Show (above) and an E-Tron Quattro concept styled like a future Q6 at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Conversely, Audi said last year it would kill off the R8 E-tron supercar in a move that allows it to focus on SUVs, which offer broader sales potential. The electrification strategy is part of Audi's role as the technology lead within the Volkswagen Group, which also highlights autonomous driving. Audi has a subsidiary that's developing solutions for cities, including a robot taxi service that could be used across the VW portfolio. Meanwhile, Audi said it took a $1.9 billion charge as a result of the VW Group diesel-emission and Takata airbag scandals and turned an operating profit of $3.3 billion as part of its Wednesday announcement. The company also reiterated its product cadence, and the next-generation A7 is due in 2018 along with the Q8. A new Q4 model will join the portfolio in 2019. Related Video: